On Texas Time

Matt and I went to Texas last weekend on a super whim. It was so rewarding, perhaps one of my favorite whims....

photos::::

hanging out with my favorite college roomie, Angelique, looking out over Lake Austin and enjoying the sweet breeze and wonderful vistas!

This place used to be so special to me - playing guitar with friends, ripping up love poems in effigy and tears - it was so powerful showing Matt, the love of my life,

all these places and people that helped shape me and showed me so much beauty.

Here we are with my bro and sweet cousin Carol -

who showed me so much love and family and shelter

when i was in college exploring and trying to figure things out.

playing frisbee golf in the yard of my brother's new house at the end of a long day is priceless!

I've never seen soo many deer consistently hanging out in a yard.

Much swimming and sunning this Memorial Day weekend.

the spectacular Lake Travis!

HowellOrr Canoe Trip

Matt and I enjoyed a wonderful weekend with good friends - Ian and Camille - recently:::

We were supposed to go canoeing down a river in Utah -- but the water level was too high -- so we enjoyed an impressively wonderful Plan B with the Howells at 11 Mile Reservoir and the Rampart Range area:::

definitely one of the sweetest places i've ever pitched a tent.

hanging out on the rocks as Ian hangs on to a rock for his life

i love being on water!!

it was definitely a weekend of lounging around, enjoying good food and super good company and conversation and singing around the campfire - super chill and relaxing.

We are part of a House Church

One of the highlights of the past year and a half of my life (besides marriage) has definitely been the House Church that Matt and I are a part of. It has been an incredible experience being part of an intentional community, seeking to honor God with our lives together. We don't have any official written name or vision or mission statement so sometimes it's hard to articulate what it's like being part of this community.

For some insight check out our blog, updated by Kate.

Matt and I weren't looking for an alternative to traditional church -- we were just looking for authenticity, a small group of people who love Jesus and i guess like to get together or something - we weren't even sure what it would look like, but God knew our hearts and desires and knocked our socks off for sure.

Last night as we were all sitting in a crowded circle praying, my heart just about wanted to explode with
gratefulness and the beauty of it all.

Father, thank you for the privilege of being part of this body of Christ, thank you for being our head and for leading us and challenging us through relationships and dreaming and giving and envisioning - it has been a feast and i am grateful and expectant for more.

Disease

Think about this in lieu of the recent media coverage.

I saw this on a guy's blog who is on staff with Word Made Flesh Nepal. ((where I participated on a Servant Team))

We've Added-On

We've added on to our home-away-from-home, aka the Subaru. We got this little tarp on sale on our way out of town and we had a lot of fun adding an extra room onto the back of the car. I know you're thinking isn't that borderline-yahoo but oh well we like to live it up when car camping. and we don't have any shotguns or ATVs so it's hardly Yahoo.

We haven't decided what to call it yet, I'm thinking: the Veranda, the Portico, the Back Porch, the Terrace, the Patio, the Sun Room - i like them all!

(( I like special rooms with special names, in the house i grew up in we had a: Sitting Room and an Atrium - which are great room names. The atrium is what it is, but i don't know who named the sitting room the sitting room.))

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More photos from the weekend in and around Lost Creek Wilderness:::

On the way up

At some points we were post-holing in snow up to our waists!

pretty frustrating - but adventuresome

the summit of the North Twin Cone Mtn.

great vistas all around!

Come to my Door

About prayer, Frederick Buechner says:::

"According to Jesus, by far the most important thing about praying

is to keep at it... Be importunate*, Jesus says ---

not, one assumes, because you have to beat a path to God's door

before he'll open it, but because until you beat down the path,

maybe there's no way of getting to your door."

*importunate - urgent or persistent in solicitation

Third Annual Springtime Desert Camping Trip

Canyonlands Natl'l Park is divided by canyons into three parts, we explored in The Needles, this particular area is called Chessler Park. This was the view from our campsite, it was incredible and full of wonders and surprises as Utah always is. We saw two people that afternoon/evening.

A nice little open-air window on our day hike.

We unexpectedly came across a series of maze-like giant cracks in the walls - which was a blast to explore.

More fun in the narrows and in-betweens.

Fine Desert Dining.

I loved this spot under the tree,

looking out over a vast, quiet desert

with a violent storm approaching.

We watched the rain clouds that day

eek closer and closer towards us,

until the rain drops hid us away in our tent.

~ALONG THE WAY~

Self Care 101

Last night at our ODM staff meeting a board member came to talk to us about "self care." She has been married and in the ministry for over 30 years - so i appreciate her advice. She reminded us of the threat of burn-out working in compassionate ministries. Her advice is:::

1. Get away by yourself - Reflect and Pray

2. Pray with your spouse - you can argue or fight all day with your spouse but it's hard to argue in front of God.

3. Lament - find someone to pour out your lamentations - either God or a good friend.

3. Ask for Help - don't be afraid to say you need a break or to ask for help.

4. Exercise - movement is key - you must exercise if you want to find rest at the end of the day.

5. Bedtime Hygiene - have a relatively consistent bedtime - and reserve 30 minutes before as winding down time - because good sleep is key to a healthy lifestyle/ministry.



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I treasure practical, experience-based suggestions like this - I'm all about preventative self care because in my young life I have already dabbled in burn-out. And I'm thankful that my boss for the most part sets a good example of caring for yourself so that you may care for others.

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Does anyone else have any self-care secrets???  besides of course a good book and coffee which is a staple for me.  =)